freedom and/or limitations

INSPIRATION

movement

to start exploring the exam title of freedom and/or LIMITATIONS i decided to I look at basic elements of movement. through this i will be exploring how the shutter speed and aperture of the camera effects the exposure time and CONSEQUENTLY the final outcome of the photograph. In order to experiment with these tools, I explored both short, and long shutter speeds and how movement is portrayed differently within them. ​

fast shutter speed

PHILIPPE HALSMANN

Philippe Halsmann believed that people expressed their true selves when they jumped: "Starting in the early 1950s I asked every famous or important person I photographed to jump for me. I was motivated by a genuine curiosity. After all, life has taught us to control and disguise our facial expressions, but it has not taught us to control our jumps. I wanted to see famous people reveal in a jump their ambition or their lack of it, their self-importance or their insecurity, and many other traits."

ROBERT LONGO

The Men in the Cities series made Robert Longo famous in the 1980s: larger-than-life drawings from photographs of sharply dressed business people writhing in contortion, a sort of death dance of the modern man. Created between 1977 and 1983, the figures appeared trapped in a tortuous moment, limited by their daily grind. The lack of background exemplifies this idea. Despite the dynamic movements the figures are sharp with no sign of movement or blur.​

contact sheets:

response to halsmann:

Response to longo:

Conclusion:I think that my response was good, i think that i played around nicely with different positions, shutter speeds and perspectives which led to me creating a response that I'm quite happy with. I think was my is reflective of the artists but with my own angle. I preferred to make more interesting shapes with my subjects which I think makes the image look more interesting.

slow shutter speed

FRANCESCA WOODMAN​Although she was the model in most of her work, Francesca Woodman’s photographs do not function as typical self-portraits. Rather, she used her own image to explore the representation of gender and the relation of the body to its environment. Now that we know that Woodman committed suicide at 22 we can project a greater meaning on the images. Some critics have considered the images in the context of her mental health at the time and reached conclusions that she felt trapped and was looking for a way to escape.​

Laurence Demaison

use herself exclusively as the subject of her photographs. Freed from the burden of words and the presence of others, she embraced the solitude, silence and freedom, while struggling to confront the image of her own body. Rather than portraying her body as it was, she sought to conceal, modify, even destroy it and reconstruct it in a form more acceptable to her. The result is a series of self-portraits which expertly use the reflective and distortive qualities of her materials along with the shadowy effects of light and negative images to create "paper phantoms", ghosts of herself that are there, yet disappear in an instant.

contact sheets:

response to woodman:

response to demaison

​ConclusionI think my response was quite successful for both ARTISTs. My responses DEMONSTRATe the freedom of MOVEMENT through the use of a slow shutter speed and created some interesting images. If i were to re-shoot this response i think i would take more time with experimenting with different shutter speeds and lighting. I think i would also quite like to explore different MOVEMENTS in certain ENVIRONMENTS to CREATE some more thought PROVOCATION for the viewer.

framing

​I created a body of work Using the limits of frames in the environment and the edge of my viewfinder to crop your observations. I took these photographs in bristol, mainly in the stokes croft area.

Response:

conclusion:I think my best images are the ones where the frames within the photographs are most PROMINENT. This is BECAUSE it clearly isolates the subject within the image. a single frame created a clear focal point with the image allows the view MINIMAL distraction and focuses their eye on the middle portion of the photograph. I think this response is quite limited in it's response and so, as a result, i will go into london and shoot another set of images. In this second response of images i will attempt to further explore different settings and types of frames.

pushing the limits of photography

There are three core aspects to every photograph that as a viewer expect to see. These are; Focus, Strong composition and good EXPOSURE. through my following response, i will challenge these three core aspects and test the limits of them. My aim is to challenge these preconceptions without DAMAGING the quality of the image itself.

Focus

As a viewer we except a good photograph to be in focus. Through this response i hope to use my knowledge and UNDERSTANDING of focus and depth of field in order to push back against what the standard EXPECTatIONs are. will people react differently to an image or place when it's out of focus? What are the limits of focus? can an image become too blurred?

ralph eugene meatyard

Ralph eugene meatyard made his living as an optician. he experimented with various strategies including multiple EXPOSUREs, depth of field, motion blur, and other methods of photographic abstraction. two of his series are particularly concerned with focus and depth of field, both stretching the expressive potential of photography, film and cameras when looking with the ordinary world. ​These are examples of his work from his photographic series 'no focus':

Contact Sheet:

Response:

conclusion:i quite like the outcome of my response, the distortion caused by the out of focus nature of the shots presents an almost PLEASANT sense of INTRIGUE to the viewer. i thin they ask interesting questions like, do they actually know what the SUBJECT is? does it matter they are not sure? if i were to take this task further i would shoot outside in brighter locations and experiment with more expansive shots rather than just focus on close ups.

Composition

as a viewer we expect there to be a subject to a photograph. through my response i will CHALLENGE this expectation, i want to find out what more an image can offer when the subject isn't fully there, can it open up different possibilities of interpretations? In my response i tried to allude to a subject without allowing its presence to fully be in the image nor explain its presence, i want to leave the subject hovering on the EDGE of the frame asking the VIEWER questions?​

uta barth

​​​Barth’s COLOUR photographs from the series “Grounds” (Adbusters, 2003) provide numerous examples of her soft focus approach. In one of her images, the photograph just catches a glimpse of the edge of a windowsill with a curtain draped over its ledge. Blurred but clear enough to reveal the shapes and forms as identifiable, the small, unframed mounted image seems to drift toward nothing in particular. Muted colour tones reinforce the sense of calm in the image by their understated presence.​​Here are some examples of her work:

Contact Sheet:

Response

conclusion:i think my response shows the how the way in which a PHOTOGRAPH can i COMPOSE an image can be used purposely not how it is expected that they use it. the photographs i took show the subject of the PHOTOGRAPH purposely cut off by the edge of the frame. I think this adds quite a nice ELEMENT of INTRIGUE to the work and could PROVOKE thought from the viewer. the thing i'd change if i were to develop this task is trying to capture a more interesting subject, yet still using this same idea of composing the image outside of the norm.

EXPOSURE

as a viewer of a piece of PHOTOGRAPHIC work, we expect the photograph to be correctly exposed. we like to see not too little light so that the frame is not well lit but not too much light that the frame then becomes abstracted. In this response i played around with the exposure of the same shot over and over again. i wanted to push the LIMITS of what we as viewers of photographic work deem to be ok.​

Contact Sheet:

RESPONSe:

For all my photographs I Used the manual mode on my camera with a shutter speed of 1/60 and an APERTURE of F8.0. Then PHOTOGRAPHING the same subject every time i varied the ISO this made the photographs go from very unexposed to overexposed.​

ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 1600

ISO 6400

ISO 12800

​conclusion:for each of the shots, as you would except, there is one or two shots that would be considered correctly EXPOSed. However, what interests me the most are the two either side of these 'correct' shots. for EXAMPLE take the shot of the open door, the shot that would be considered to have been correctly exposed would be the shot taken at ISO 400. However, if you take a look at the shot taken with an ISO of 100, the doors become an outline, they now frame the view outside the door instead of being equally RELEVANT within the photograph. by changing the iso we have manged to change the focal point of the photograph.

EXPOSURE in post production

KELD HELMER-PETERSON

Keld Helmer-Peterson was a Danish photographer who was inspired by Albert Renger-Patzsch, the experiments at The Bauhaus in Germany and by Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind at the Art Institute of Chicago. He achieved fame for his colour photographs but he also published several books of black and white images that explore dramatic contrasts of tone.

​In some, we are only presented with images that are black and white. All mid tones have been removed. He created and found these images, using both cameras and flat bed scanners to achieve the effects he was looking for. The books encourage us to consider the space around the image and the accompanying text as integral to the meaning of the work.

Examples of his works:

Response:

Conclusion:​i really like this response as i think i chose good, interesting photographs which had both light and dark areas, and included some nice pleasing shapes and patterns. this resulted in an outcome that looked good as these shapes and patterns were further brought out and EMPHASIsED.

Damage

For this response, i developed the negative in the darkroom and slightly overexposed the photograph. I then put it BLEACH and scratched it, With the bleach still wet i then burnt the faces within the image. Finally i soaked the image in tea leaves.

to create this piece, I DEVELOPED the negative in the darkroom i then painted around the figure in the image. while the paint was still wet i took a metal brush and went over the paint in circular motions. Finally i put the photograph in bleach.

for this response i took an already paper print out of the photograph and soaked it in tea leaves. once dried i sprayed bleach onto it and left it for a MINUTE. then proceeded to PHOTOGRAPH the piece while the bleach remained on the print as to CAPTURe it slowly damaging the image.

conclusionI think that my response had varying degrees of success. I think with my first piece i tried to combine too many TECHNIQUES and i think this led to the work getting too confused and in fact limiting the amount of processes although presenting less damage i think can create a better quality piece. I think this well demonstrated in the next two pieces that i produced. I used less damaging techniques yet the outcome i feel has more quality to it, they feel less chaotic and more well thought through.

LIMITing space

Corner PORTRAITS

IRVING PENN​Around 1948, photographer Irving Penn began making unusual portraits of a number of writers, artists, musicians, politicians, dancers and other celebrities. Each one was asked to position in a small corner (sharper than 90°) created with two studio flats pushed together and a carpet on the floor. Within the corner portraits, the studio becomes an architectural limiter of the subject movements and the resulting compressed and claustrophobic environment isolates the subjects’ personalities in an abstract, artificial corner of the world.​Here are some examples of his work:

contact sheet:

response

paper in studio

using inspiration from the penn images and looking at the work from PHOTOPEDAGOGY @ TATE EXCHANGE (images below) Restrict your viewer using the rolls of paper. i played with light, focus and COMPOSITION in order to create interesting images using the restriction of the space created by the paper rolls.

contact sheets:

response

​conclusion:I like my response, especially the exploration of the different angles and perspectives. the use of framing both the full body and specific parts of the body in different shots nicely explores the ways of presenting the subject. I also like editing of the PHOTOGRAPHS' brightness and contrast which really allow the bright colour of the paper to come through. however, if i were to re-shoot this task i would explore the use of other colours, either in real life or post production, as i think this could add an interesting difference to the photographs.

confined spaces

WILLI DORNER

Austrian artist Willi Dorner squeezes human bodies into nooks and crannies for his Bodies in Urban Spaces project. Groups of dancers, climbers and performers wearing brightly coloured clothes run through busy shopping centres and high streets, cramming themselves into doorways, alcoves and any gap they can find in public buildings.

Here are some examples of his work:

contacts sheets:

response:

CONCLUSION for limiting space: ​Through my three RESPONSES involving confined spaces think I've explored how subjects can better INTERACT with there environments. I have explored ways in which the shape of the subjects body can fit into the spaces or contrast with them. if i were to redo one response it would be the first one; i felt as though i could have played around with angles of my subjects and the lighting of the space. Although my OUTCOME was ok i think it appears quite one DIMENSIONAL. the FAVOuRITE of my responses is the last one, here the PLAYFULNESS interaction between the subject and the confines of the space is at its maximum. i feel the best my outcomes OCCURRED when the subject fit in and MOULDED to the confines of an interesting or PECULIAR shape space.

EXHIBITION visit'another kind of life'

​during the course of my project i went to the Barbican gallery was saw an exhibition called 'Another Kind of Life'. This exhibition featured 20 artists all following a single theme, each artist followed people seen as disregarded on the fringes of society, often immersing themselves in their lives or through their friendships and connections of just outsider observations. The images presented in the EXHIBITION are dated from the 1950's up until the present day.

i felt the exhibition was CURATED well and was very COHERENT. There were separate compartments/rooms, adjoined by a doorway, each featuring a singular artist's project. i felt this idea of COMPARTMENTALIsING each artist was reflective of how each artist approached the same theme but in their own way. The photographs themselves were presented in a variety of ways. some were placed at eye height, few were blown up to fill the wall, whilst some were small polaroid sized images placed under a glass screen on a table. Few also featured their images a movie. again i like this idea of how each artist's work was presented in it's own style which suited their sub-theme best, not everything was forced to be uniformly presented.

Below are 3 highlights from the exhibition that I particularly enjoyed:

1. DAYANOTA SINGH: 'Myself Mona Ahmed'. this artist gave us a look into the life of a TRANSSEXUAL women hidden away from her family in Eunuchs, India. The book series shows personal events in Mona's life, with additional up-close footage of her singing. BECAUSE of the way her story was presented, i, as a viewer almost felt a personal connection with her. PERHAPS this is what makes THE work so powerful. the clear close bond between singh and mona is evident and maybe this what drives singh's work to be so personal and powerful. ​ ​

​2. PIETER HUGO: 'THE HYENA AND OTHER MEN' hugo presented his project which was CARRIED OUT IN A SHANTY TOWN OUTSIDE OF THE CAPITAL, ABUJA, EXPLORING A NIGERIAN GROUP, GADAWAN KURA (HYENNA HANDLERS). this group were OFTEN PRESUMED TO BE CRIMINAL DRUG DEALERS AND THIEVES THESE PEOPLE ARE degraded TO THE EDGES OF THE SOCIETY, MOVING ALONG THE EDGES OF MOST TOWNS. in his work, HUGO DESCRIBES THEM AS, “ITINERANT MINSTRELS... A GROUP OF MEN, A LITTLE GIRL, THREE HYENAS, FOUR MONKEYS AND A FEW ROCK PYTHONS,”. in this EXHIBITION ONLY 4 PHOTOS WERE ON SHOW, BUT THESE had POWERFUL EFFECTS. EACH IMAGE WAS BLOWN UP, ALL AT EYE LEVEl, creating a bold and attention demanding image of his work. AS EACH PERSON, AND IN SOME CASES THE ANIMALS, STARED DIRECTLY INTO THE CAMERA IT FELT UNUSUALLY INTENSE, DRAWING me, THE VIEWER, AND BRINGING MYSELF TO QUESTION and think about THE HARDSHIPS THEY MUST GO THROUGH.

​3. JIM GOLDBERG - 'RAISED BY WOLVES' for this project, GOLDBERG PRODUCED A MULTI-MEDIA outcome. he MAde A NARRATIVE ON HOMELESS AND TROUBLED ADOLESCENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO AND Los angeles for rOUGHLY 10 YEARS (BETWEEN 1985 AND 1995) WITH TWEEKY DAVE AND ECHO BECOMING HIS MAIN FOCUS THROUGHOUT HIS PROJECT. DURING THIS PROJECT HE BECAME NOT ONLY AN OBSERVER OF THESE PEOPLE'S LIVES BUT ALSO EVENTUALLY BECOMING A FRIEND AND A HELPER, TAKING THEM IN WHENEVER THEY NEEDED. goldberg's USE OF A COMBINATION OF MEDIUMS GIVEs THE VIEWER A CHANCE TO NOT ONLY view ASPECTS OF THE SUBJECTS LIVES BUT to almost feel what the subject is feeling. HIS APPROACH WAS INVASIVE IN AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY, GATHERING DRAWINGS FROM THEIR CHILDHOOD, UP CLOSE BODY SHOTS AND POSSESSIONS OF THE TEENS. THESE UNCOVER THESE HIDDEN CHARACTERS LEAVING LITTLE TO THE VIEWERS IMAGINATION BUT RATHER UNVEILING EVERY DETAIL OF THEIR PAST AND PRESENT.

in relation to the exam theme freedoms and limitations i found loads of helpful links within the sub-themes explored by the different artists. For freedom I found; Freedom of speech, from reality, of IDENTIFICATION and of self expression. for limitations i found; limitations of societal rules and expectations, freedom of expression OUTSIDE of a group or community.

i found this exhibition both emotionally moving and fascinating. it allowed me as a viewer to delve into the lives of different groups living on the fringes of society. it allowed me not only to view these interesting lives but to really experience them. It made me REFLECT on my own place within society and forced me to think about the sensitive topics is a new light and to question previous conceptions.

1st strand​Breaking the structure

​Thomas Kellnar

kellnar used his contact sheets to create his work. each rectangle is an INDIVIDUAL photograph which represents part of an overall picture. kellnar purposely changes the angle of his camera which means because each INDIVIDUAL photograph doesn't align correctly the overall image gives enough of an idea of what the subject is but at the same time presents that subject to seem broken.

EXAMPLES of kellnar's work:

Contact Sheets:

response:

shakespeare's globe.

tate modern.

conclusion to strand 1:I think although my responses somewhat reflect the artists work, they would have been better if shot on a larger lens in order to get more of a close up within each photograph. That being said my response does still show the broken form of structure and presents an interesting outcome. However, I don't think i will develop this strand any further BECAUSE i feel as though it has less possible explorations than my other two strands.

2nd strandfreedom of expression

​alex williamson

in williamson's work he experiments with graphic process and visual narrative. He makes unique, arresting images with cut-out, collage and print techniques, creating unusual juxtapositions of imagery by combining found ephemera with photographic imagery and graphic mark making. using this kind of idea i will create my own response using photographs of GRAFFITI in bristol that i took and combing these with portraits sot in the studio. The idea behind it is to represent the subjects own thoughts and ideas about social or POLITICAL attitudes through SUPERIMPOSING the graffiti onto the portraits.

Here are some examples of williamson's work:

editing process:

for the editing I put the portrait in black and white and adjusted the colour levels, i then edited the graffiti photographs, changing the brightness and contrast, and cropped them. finally i dragged the graffiti images onto the portraits and changed the opacity and fill levels until i felt they were right.

Response:

conclusion for strand 2:I think this RESPONSE is quite a thought PROVOKING one; the COMBINATION of PORTRAITURE and street art creates an interesting dynamic within the images and tries to question the viewers own views. I changed a bit from the artist and used his work as loose inspiration for my own work. However, if i were to DEVELOP this strand any further i think i would go back and more closely follow his pieces. i think it could be interesting to use multiple IMAGES and graphics CONFINED WITHIN the outline of the figure itself.

3rd strandmental illness

christian hopkins

Through surreal self-portraiture and photo manipulation, hopkins gives form to the strong emotions with which he has and continues to struggle with. A wide variety of his pictures capture perfectly the haunted thoughts and feelings trapped within his mind. I have chosen to respond to two of his photographs using the idea of fabric covering the body and especially the face.

Here are the two photographs:

Contact Sheet:

response:

​strand 3 conclusion:​although perhaps not my FAVOuRITE outcome of all the strands it is DEFINITELY a contended to be developed further. I feel like if i PRESENTED the subject against a black background and completely IMMERSED in a singular sheet the outcome would have a clearer focus and thus a more powerful photograph. I also feel in terms of going forward and developing this strand that it has a lot of POTENTIAL. I could play with the fabric and introduce projections and STITCH work just to give examples. as a result of this my third strand will be the one i choose to carry forward into the next stage of my project.

development one - studio shoot

​for this development i decided to keep it closely related to my original response but this time properly cover the subject and to experiment slightly in the studio by adjusting the lighting, perspective and shutter speed.​

contact sheet:

​​editing process:

for EDITING the images, I PUT THE PHOTOS IN BLACK AND WHITE AND PLAYED AROUND WITH WITH COLOUR LEVELS. I THEN ADJUSTED THE BRIGHTNESS, CONTRAST AND CURVES. THE RESULTS GAVE A NICE GRAINY EFFECT WITH DARK TONNES ALMOST SYMBOLIC OF THE INNER EMOTIONS ATTEMPTED TO BE COVERED BY THE FABRIC.

​Edits:

conclusion:I think the images in this development create an effective dramatic effect. I PARTICULARLY like the grainy EDITING which creates a slight discomfort for the view, this combined with the dark tonnes of the photographs i think correctly reflects the subjects. I think from here I would like to experiment with what i can digitally add and change with the fabric to give more of an idea of a contrast between the inner and outer emotions of the subject.

development two - Superimposing

For this development I took a series of portraits of the same people I covered in fabric. I then OVER-LAYERED the normal studio portraits onto the wrapped shots. This creates a juxtaposition of emotions with the image. The inner emotions being wrapped up, with the scream from BENEATH only just being visible and the happiness of the portraits layered on top.​

contact sheet:

editing process

for the editing process i had to first change the opacity and fill levels to the correct levels, i then cropped and used the 'free transform' tool in photoshop to resize the images in order to line them up correctly. I then put the images into black and white and ADJUSTED the colour levels, brightness and contrast. once i had done this i RETOUCHED the edges of the image so they BLENDED.

edits:

after editing some of the over-layered images I decided it could be an interesting APPROACH to create a gif switching between having the over-LAYERED photograph and just the wrapped portrait. The idea being the over-layered photograph representing the outer expressed emotions covering up the inner emotions being hidden. The switch between the two being inner emotions OCCASIONALly breaking through the mask.​

edited stills for gif:

​process of creating the gif:

​gif:

​conclusion:i like the outcome of this development and think it displays the interesting relationship between the feeling of the interior VERSUS the feelings of the exterior. i like the way the whole gif turns darker and the interior emotions are uncovered as this reflects those emotions compared to that of the exterior. from here i think it would be interesting to explore how i can use projections onto the fabric to display different emotions.

development three - Projections

​for this development i will use a digital projector to project a representation of the subjects inner emotions onto the fabric wrapped around the subjects. I will use the portraits taken and used in my last development as the projections onto the fabric. I will also vary the focus of the projections in order to experiment and see what the outcomes look like.​

contact sheet:

​edits:

For these two edits above; I changed the cut my subjects out from their backgrounds and filled the background white, i filled the backgrounds white in order to add contrast from the dark tonnes of the subject. I then EDITED the brightness, contrast and curves of the actual subjects.

For the edit below; I decided to select the background and fill it white but with a fill density of only 80%, this left the outlines still visible. I then RE-SELECTED the BACKGROUND but only including the shadow of the subject and filled it once more white but this time with a fill density of 100%.

​for this last edit below, I filled the background black, so that the subject almost blended into the BACKGROUND. to further show this, once the background was filled in, I used the spot healing brush tool on the darken setting to blend the subject into the background.

​conclusion:i think The idea of changing the fabric to reflect a juxtaposition of emotions is effective. i think it presents an interesting idea that has the real potential to be developed. If i was to shoot this same development again i think I would spend more time on the lighting and trying to get the facial expressions underneath the fabric to come through DESPITE the projections. next i am going to further experiment with changing the fabric by sewing.

development four - filming outside

​the idea of this response was to DEPICT the covering up of emotions by the subject as the go about in the open. this idea of taking something slightly odd and out of the ordinary and placing that into an isolated yet quite normal setting reminds me of the work of gregory crewdson.

gregory crewdson

although the subjects and the meaning behind crewdson's work might differ from mine. you can see in his work that he places people into places they don't quite fit and it feels a bit strange to look at, it also appears to change the whole mood of the image. this idea presents a juxtaposition within the photograph which is something i'd quite like to try and replicate within my own response whenever possible.

Clips for editing:

in my footage, i think THE EMPTINESS AND ALMOST BLEAK SURROUNDINGS OF THE SUBJECT ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE SUBJECTS INNER EMOTIONS OF ISOLATION AND HELPLESSNESS. AS THE VIDEO PROGRESSES THE SUBJECTS EMOTIONS DEEPEN AND THEY START TO LOOSE THE HOLD THEY'VE HAD ON THEM. THIS IS SHOWN WHEN THE SUBJECT BECOMES CONSTANTLY IN AND OUT OF FOCUS TOWARDS THE END OF THE VIDEO, AND IS ESPECIALLY EMPHASISED BY THE SHAKY NATURE OF THE VERY LAST CLIP AND THE SOUNDTRACK COMING TO A DRAMATIC CLOSE.

​Editing:

To edit and create my video i used the SOFTWARE PREMIERE pro. First I dragged the clips that i had selected to use into the program. I then chopped up the clips, cutting out any unwanted footage. from the IN PROGRAM effects folder i dragged in cross fades and placed them BETWEEN the clips in order to create cohesion between them rather than having a harsh TRANSITION. I then added auto contrast to make the footage appear a little more dramatic. I then dragged in audio files and played around with them and placed them in the background.

Conclusion:I think my outcome was good, however, there is a lot that could be changed and developed to create something better. I liked the idea behind it and the slight narrative. If i were to continue down this course of development I would want to explore two things. One being the PERSPECTIVES and angles when shooting the footage. the second being changing the fabric WHETHER that be through sewing or painting.

development five - changing the fabric

for this development i will look at ways in which i can change the fabric to FURTHER emphasis a sense of JUXTAPOSITION with the shot. in this way i can create a sense of happiness and joyfulness on the exterior of the fabric yet still have the fabric covering the true emotions of the subject. to start with i will use the idea of sewing into the fabric. i will sew different emotions and shoot in the studio.

contact sheet:

​editing process:

I wanted the edited photograph to be in black and white yet still wanted the colour of the thread. To achieve this i used the selection tool in photoshop but didn't select the thread and made the image black and white. I then changed the colour balance while doing this. i then adjusted the brightness and contrast and the curves.

​Edits:

After editing three photographs in the same way I decided to experiment editng the same photograph but in different ways to explore what looked best. The In the first photograph I upped the brightness and contrast and increased the exposure.

For this edit I used the distortion tool in photoshop along with adjusting the exposure and levels.

For my final edit I used the LIQUEFY tool in photoshop and dragged out the eyes creating an almost melting face. I also PLAYED around with the tone of the image.

​

THIS FINAL EDIT WAS TAKEN WITH A SLOW SHUTTER SPEED AND NO TRIPOD, WITH THE SUBJECT REMAINING STILL. I PURPOSELY MOVED THE CAMERA WHILE THE SHUTTER WAS STILL OPEN TO CREATE A BLURRED RESPONSE. THE FACE CAN STILL BE MADE OUT AS A FACE BUT THE FEATURES ARE HEAVILY BLURRED.

​conclusion:I think the development was very successful as i think the sewing of the face quite nicely shows the juxtaposition between the hidden emotions, presumably unhappiness, beneth the fabric, and the happiness of the sewen emotions. I think the use of red thread as in further represents that harsh contrast in the red on black. I liked the experimentation of angles and perspective, editing and different shutter speeds. This is something that I may take further in my next development.

development six - further sewing

​for this development I experimented with sewing an extra face onto the fabric sheet. I also wanted to EXPERIMENT with the LIGHTING, playing with HARSH white light and a softer ORANGE light in the studio. I also tried to experiment still with having a longer shutter speed as to add some MOVEMENT into the frame of the photograph.​

contact sheet

​Edits

with the editing of the photographs for this development i tried to keep it simple as the focus was on the lighting and perspective rather than the post production editing. as a result the only editing was a slight adjustment of the brightness and contrast.

​conclusion:​I think that this DEVELOPMENT was successful and produced some interesting shots. i like playing around with the movement of the figure as it adds something a bit different to the shots. I think that this idea of just the fabric in the studio has now been fully explored and i think it would be an interesting idea to take the fabric back outside and create a film in an isolated environment.

DEVELOPMENT Seven - FILMING AT THE barbican

​after looking at the idea of CHANGING the exterior of the FABRIC, i want to look at taking the changed fabric and shooting a short film. i've thought carefully about the location of shooting and i think i want to stick to empty locations as i feel the represent the feelings of isolation quite nicely.. THis time i will shoot at the barbican centre, i think the history of brutalist ARCHITECTURE and the idea of it being raw. In brutalist ARCHITECTURE concrete is used for its raw and unpretentious honesty, therefore shooting in this location creates a further JUXTAPOSITION with the honesty of the concrete being the STARK opposite of the covered EMOTIONS.

Location of Barbican Centre

BEFORE GOING TO THE BARBICAN TO SHOOT THE FILM I DECIDED TO TEST CERTAIN COLOURING AND TONE OF THE FOOTAGE ALONG WITH EXPERIMENTING WITH THE ANGLES, DEPTH OF FIELD AND SEQUENCING.​

Test shooting

​In these clips I TRIED to experiment with angles and perspective. I used the monochrome setting in my camera and also increased the sharpness and contrast. I also EMPHASIsED on the red COLOuRS within the CAMERA settings. i think the outcomes were okay but not amazing, I want to play around with close ups and being far away. I will also use the SEWN fabric in my next test shoot as I want to get a feel for the actual film. I will also shoot with no camera settings changed as I feel the footage is more flexible in its raw form and can always be edited in post production.

barbican film clips

these are the clips from filming that i selected as ones i could edit into my film.

editing the film

I used the software premiere pro to edit my footage. below I have HIGHLIGHTED the three parts of my film which were edited in different ways.

To IMITATE a glitch within the CHARACTER I cut up the footage and changed the footage speed to 350% and reversed the direction of half of it. I then repeated the same clips but adjusted the footage speed to 400%.​

In this part of the film, I cut together footage of cold and warm temperature in quick SUCCESSION in order to create a juxtaposition between the different frames. I used a fade to black video transition in order to reflect the more darker emotions being covered by the fabric.​

In this section of the film, I OVER-LAYERED the next clip onto the previous one and lowered the overlay settings to 50%. I then left a gap in the over layered footage, as well as finishing the over layered clip before the normal footage, to create a glitch like effect. This glitch like effect at this point in the footage represents the brutalist ideals starting to win over the CHARACTER, encouraging them to be more raw and honest.

On top of highlighting these 3 sections, I also edited each clip so they matched each other more equally and therefore creating a more fluid looking film. I edited these clips in terms of brightness and contrast, sharpness as well as adding noise to the footage.​

barbican film

​Conclusion:​I'm pretty happy with the way the film came out, I think I explored angles, perspective and depth of field successfully along side some INTERESTING video editing techniques. The STORY LINE of the story I think it represented quite clearly in the footage. From here, I think it would be interesting to explore this theme but shooting the footage in a busy public space. This way i could explore how people react to the subject in context. in the next edit I also think it would be interesting to play around with the colour tint ans saturation to further compliment the clips and make the frames more interesting and also professional looking.

development eight - Filming in public

FOR THIS NEXT DEVELOPMENT I'M GOING TO USE THIS IDEA OF GAUGING THE PUBLIC'S REACTION USING THE FABRIC. I AM GOING TO TAKE THE SUBJECT INTO A VERY CROWED AREA SUCH AS OXFORD STREET AND TRY AND CAPTURE THE REACTIONS OF THE PERSON IN THE FABRIC GOING ABOUT THERE EVERYDAY LIFE. WHEN FILMING I'M GOING TO KEEP IN MIND MY PREVIOUS FILM AND REPLICATE THE SAME ANGLES AND PERSPECTIVES. THIS WAY IT WILL BE EASIER TO DIRECTLY OBSERVE THE CONTRAST.

​

Location of Oxford Street

​GILLIAN WEARING​Homage to the woman with the bandaged face who I saw yesterday down Walworth Road (1995)

​wearing saw a women who had recently had SURGERY and her face was covered in bandages. she admired her courage of facing the world even when she would stand out so much. she also noted the reactions of strangers were mixed and varied and she found this very interesting. she then wrapped herself in bandages and got someone to secretly film her to gauge the PUBLIC's reaction.

filming in public clips

editing the film

I applied a change of brightness and contrast, noise and sharpening to all my footage clips and adjusted these individually to suit each clip. editing these gave the shots a nicer and more professional finish. it also allowed me to compensate for the slight difference in LIGHTING and tones in between clips and make them appear more uniform.

for the opening shot, i over layered the clips and adjusted the opacity from 100% to 30% this allowed both clips to be visible at the same time. I then did this a SECOND time giving a result of three layered clips. This portrays that emotion of longingness from the character to get to the end of the road.

for this section I took a SCREENSHOT of part of a different CLIP OF me filming through the fabric. i then over layered this on top of a clip of me panning the architecture of the area. i then adjusted the opacity to suit the frame and what i wanted it to look like. this gave me the desired effect of making it look like the point of view of the character.

at the end of the video i layered the footage without the character. i layered these clips slightly offset and sped up by 500% over the top of the footage with the character. this is to show how the character is feeling as though the world is rushing by but with their emotions remaining a constant.

​when selecting the clips for the video i tried to bare in mind the work of gillian wearing and select clips that had the public's reaction to the figure in. like in the screenshot from the film above I've highlighted someone turning around to look at the figure. Their are quite a few reactions in the last section of the film and they are also EVIDENT in the point of view section of the film.

oxford street film

​conclusion:i think this film was quite successful as i think the film shows the juxtaposition between the CHARACTER and the backdrop, the isolation of emotions with the business of the streets surrounding the character. it also shows the reactions of the general public in quite a few shots, and is this way nicely IMITATES wearing's work. i also like the further experimentation of using over layering in the editing process, ESPECIALLY when combined with the change of speed in the clips.

development of my project

My initial strand response.

My third development. A studio shoot but with the use of a projector to project a another photograph on top of the subject.

My fourth development. This was presented in the medium of a film. I took the masked subject outside to put it in a context.

My seventh development. I went back to the medium of film and placed the subject into an isolated context, reflective of the emotions of the character.

My first development. A studio shoot, using a cloth completely covering the face.

My second development. A studio shoot, but with the use of post production editing to overlay a second image showing the face.

My fifth development. Another studio shoot, but with the fabric having a hand sewn face presenting the idea of contrasting emotions.

My sixth development. My last studio shoot. I sewed another face on the fabric and experimented with different lighting etc.

My eighth development. I continued exploring the medium of film. this time I shot the character in a public setting, pushing the boarders of the comfort of the character and in order to gauge reactions.

final piece

for my final piece I am going to edit together my two previous developments, thus creating a film contrasting the two of them. the isolation of the brutalist architecture in juxtaposition to the busy streets of central london. when filming the second film, in oxford street, I . purposely tried to capture similar shots to my first brutalist response because I had this in mind. In this way, I'm hoping I will be able to cut between the footage more easily and with greater fluidity and thus creating a more crisp and compact film.​in my editing I also want to experiment further with the editing of the original footage, experiment with tones, tints and colours. this way, I can try to express the meaning behind the film not only in the footage itself, but also try and reflect this within the editing of the film.​

edited stills from the footage

before i edited the final film i wanted to explore how I could edit the colour and saturation of the clips. to do this I took some stills from my ORIGINAL barbican film added a tint to them.​

un-tinted.

tinted.

THE FIRST TWO STILLS SHOW THE DIFFERENCE WHEN I ADDED A REDISH TINT TO THE FRAME. THIS CLIP WILL BE PUT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM. THE SECOND TWO STILLS SHOW THE FRAME WITH A ORANGE/YELLOWISH TINT. THIS WILL BE PLACED AT THE END OF THE FILM. the idea behind the change in tint from the beginning to the end of the film is to reflect the change in emotion from underneath the mask in the change of colour.

editing the film

for the opening SCENE I took the inspiration from both my previous edits by overlaying the oxford street clip on top of the barbican footage that was cut up and re-ordered. I then re-sized the over layered FOOTAGE so that the positioning of the character was in line with the clips below.

I then took the screenshot I used in the oxford street film and edited it in photoshop by changing the brightness and contrast. I then over layered that image ON TOP of the clip that panned oxford street, to give the sense that the footage is point of view from the character. This clip quite nicely captures the idea of gillian wearing's work as you can directly see members of the public look at the character.

in order to add some more interesting COLOUR and tone i added a tint to all the footage. i experimented this idea with when i edited stills from the footage before I started editing the film. from there, I decided All the clips from the barbican should have a reddish tint which slowly turn to a more warm yellowish tint as the video progresses, and therefore representing the change in mood and emotions of the character. AT THE END OF THE VIDEO WHEN THE CHARACTER'S MASK IS REMOVED THE TINT IS AT IT'S YELLOWISH. I also added a bluish tint to the footage from oxford street, this colder tint was to show the anxiety caused by trying to hide the emotions in public, in fear of revealing the true emotions BENEATH.

for the audio of the video I downloaded an sound bite from YOU-TUBE and put this over the top. I then added some audio grain to the track along with changing the sound levels so that the audio gradually increases throughout the video.​

final film

conclusion:I am very pleased with my final outcome, i think that the overall film has a powerful message of the masks that are presented by people in everyday life but perhaps a lot of the time go unnoticed by the majority of people. the editing of the film makes it more interesting, and the integration of the brutalist footage and the oxford street footage creates quite a nice contrast in the setting of the figure. The editing of tints as the film progresses nicely presents the change of emotions; the harsh reds GRADUALLY turning into a softer orange/yellow tint. what i'm not certain in conveyed in the film as well as it could is the idea of the honesty of the brutalist ARCHITECTURE having as impact on the changing of the character's emotions, however, the idea of brutalism certainly isn't lost as the isolation it presents gives a very nice JUXTAPOSITION to the footage in oxford street. the isolated setting is also reflective of the CHARACTER'S sense of hidden emotions. the exploration of angles and perspectives from earlier in the development of the project is DEFINITELY shown with the film, with close-ups of the figure and mask being cut with panning shots of the surrounding ARCHITECTURE. overall i think that the film was SUCCESSFUL and i'm very happy with my final outcome.

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